Otumfuo Sumankwahene Calls for National Holiday for Traditionalists
Baffour Asabre Kogyawoasu Ababio III wants traditionalists recognised at national events and supported through insurance, scholarships and a dedicated national holiday.
- Calls for national traditionalist holiday
- Seeks insurance support for traditional healers
- Demands scholarships for practitioners and children
The Sumankwahene of the Asantehene, Baffour Asabre Kogyawoasu Ababio III, has called for the introduction of a national traditionalist holiday, scholarships for traditional medicine practitioners and their children, an insurance system to cover traditional healthcare services, and greater inclusion of traditionalists in national affairs.
He made the call on Monday, August 10, 2026, at the Apatakɛseɛ Hall Cultural Centre in Kumasi during a mass registration and licensing exercise for traditional medicine practitioners in the Ashanti Region.
The exercise was organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, in collaboration with the Traditional Medicine Practice Council and the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Practitioners Association (TAFHA).
The programme was aimed at registering practitioners and ensuring that they comply with the regulations governing traditional medicine practice.
About 800 practitioners attended the exercise.
Baffour Asabre Kogyawoasu Ababio III said traditionalists should be recognised at national events, just as Christian and Muslim leaders are invited to offer prayers.
He called for traditional priests to also be given the opportunity to offer traditional prayers and pour libation at such occasions.
The Sumankwahene further proposed an insurance system through which traditional healers could receive payment for treating patients, saying practitioners should have a recognised mechanism for being compensated for their services.
He also called for scholarships to support traditional medicine practitioners and their children, as well as the establishment of a national holiday to recognise the contributions of traditionalists to Ghanaian society.
By Anthony Amissah
